Ethyl acetate (EA) is a naturally occurring ester that may be separated and utilized as a solvent to bind and extract caffeine from green coffee (see decaffeination procedure).
Process of decaffeination Ethyl acetate (EA)
To open the pores of the beans and prepare them for decaffeination, the coffee is graded and steamed for 30 minutes under low pressure. When coffee is placed in a solvent containing water and ethyl acetate. EA begins to bind the chlorogenic acid salt inside the bean (In the bean, caffeine is present as a salt of chlorogenic acid). The tank will be drained and cycled again within eight hours until no caffeine is detectable.
Although ethyl acetate is only toxic to humans in very high amounts, the seeds are steamed again to remove any remaining residues (400 parts per million or more). The coffee is then dried and polished before being served.